Ahmed Al-Huwaiti Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Rejecting Forced Displacement from Al-Huwaitat Lands for the NEOM Project
Together for Justice renews its call for the immediate and unconditional release of Ahmed Abdulnasser Al-Huwaiti, who has been detained since October 2020 and sentenced to 20 years in prison for peacefully rejecting the forced displacement of Al-Huwaitat communities from their lands in Tabuk as part of the NEOM project.
Ahmed was only 19 years old when he was arrested from Prince Fahd bin Sultan University in Tabuk after expressing opposition to the removal of his family and tribe from homes and lands they had inherited and lived on for generations. His arrest was not an isolated case, but part of a wider campaign targeting members of the Al-Huwaitat tribe who opposed forced eviction to make way for NEOM, the Saudi regime’s flagship megaproject.
According to available information, Ahmed was subjected to proceedings that failed to meet basic fair trial standards and was later sentenced to 20 years in prison. Harsh sentences were also issued against members of his family and tribe, including his father, who was sentenced to 27 years, and his uncle, who received a 35-year sentence. These rulings demonstrate that the case is not about any genuine criminal offence, but about punishing those who refused to surrender their land.
Ahmed’s case forms part of a broader pattern of abuses against the Al-Huwaitat tribe since 2020. That year, Abdul Rahim Al-Huwaiti was killed in his home after publishing videos rejecting his forced displacement. Since then, peaceful opposition to eviction has been treated as a serious security offence, with members of the tribe prosecuted before the Specialized Criminal Court and handed lengthy prison terms, with some even facing death sentences.
The use of security courts against residents opposing the removal of their communities exposes the coercive reality behind Saudi Arabia’s megaprojects. Behind the glossy promotional language of development, innovation, and luxury tourism lies a policy of forced displacement, repression, and punishment against local populations who refuse to leave their homes.
Together for Justice stresses that forcibly displacing local communities without genuine consultation, legal safeguards, fair compensation, or respect for their right to object constitutes a serious violation of fundamental rights, including the rights to housing, property, security, freedom of expression, and protection from arbitrary detention.
From a legal perspective, Ahmed Al-Huwaiti’s continued detention and 20-year sentence for opposing forced displacement constitute arbitrary detention and a violation of his right to freedom of expression and fair trial guarantees. The sentences imposed on members of his family and tribe further reflect a pattern of collective punishment aimed at silencing an entire community.
Together for Justice calls for the immediate release of Ahmed Abdulnasser Al-Huwaiti and all detained members of the Al-Huwaitat tribe, the annulment of all sentences issued in connection with their opposition to forced displacement, and an independent investigation into the violations committed against them, including killings, arrests, and unfair trials.
The organization also calls for all forced eviction measures linked to the NEOM project to be halted until the rights of local communities are fully guaranteed, including their right to object, their right to remain on their land, and their right to fair and adequate compensation.
Ahmed Al-Huwaiti’s case is not only the story of a young man imprisoned for refusing to leave his land. It exposes the reality of a project built on enforced silence, emptied villages, broken families, and prison sentences imposed on those who dared to say: this is our land.
